Assignments & Procedures
Semester Course Work
WRITING:
- reading responses: each member of the seminar will write biweekly responses to the assigned reading for particular class sessions. Occurring on a rotation basis, these responses will involve making connections between assigned readings, forming a close analysis of an essay or poem, and/or raising major questions, concerns, and criticisms about the topic at hand. They must be circulated to all members of the class by email no later than 5:00 pm the day before class.
- in-class presentations: each member of the seminar will do two 15-minute in-class presentations during the semester. These will take one of two forms: research into historical issues or critical commentary on topics and/or technologies or intensive analysis of a particular digital piece. Each presentation will be accompanied by a brief (4-5 page) write-up submitted after class.
- postings: these short and informal comments can come at any time on any subject but will be particularly prized if they respond to another posting, react to assigned texts, and/or extend class discussion
- seminar essay: a substantial (15-20 page) essay on a topic falling within the scope of the seminar. This is the major work of the term. It can include material from your reading responses, in-class presentations, and postings. Preliminary stages of this assignment include an annotated bibliography and a prospectus. The last two sessions of the course will involve presentations of seminar essays.
| DUE | DESCRIPTION |
| 10/13 | prospectus for seminar essay, followed by |
| 11/10 | annotated bibliography |
| 11/29 | seminar essay |
| 12/6&8 | class presentation |
DISCUSSION & PARTICIPATION:
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Most classes will involve a mix of 3 types of reading: a) poems from the internet, b) theoretical essays, and c) collections of texts from one website. Assignments will require an average of four hours of preparation per class: it is crucial not just to read but to reread the poems and essays, listen closely to the sound files, scrutinize the images, and think through your responses. Always check the syllabus before doing an assignment. Don't fall behind.
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Since the class meets just two days a week, students must attend and participate in all class sessions. Punctual, regular attendance is a requirement. More than three unexcused absences will significantly reduce the grade for the course; more than six absences will result in a failing grade.
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Participation means being in class not just in body but in mind and focus. It means exchanging ideas in person, on the website, and in reading groups. It means being willing to be at a loss with the material as well as having a sure-fire theory.
GRADING:
Grading is without a doubt everyone's least favorite activity in any course, but it's particularly problematic in a course that depends, as this one does, on risk, imagination, and play. In assessing your work in the course, I am more interested in energy than accuracy, since with dense, rhythmic, figurative programming in a cutting-edge medium, no one has all the answers and in most cases "wrong" answers go as far, and sometimes farther, than "right" ones.
On the other hand, because grades are important for a student's record I want to be clear about the process through which I determine them. My preference is to grade holistically--i.e., in terms of each person's whole immersion in the class--with, rather than against, the grain of each individual's approach to learning. Each of the assignments, however, is important and will be read carefully.
Rough proportions:
20%
reading responses 20% attendance & participation 20% in-class presentations 40% prospectus, bibliography, & final semester essay
Department and Collegiate Policies & Procedures
1. Disabilities: I would like to hear from anyone who has a physical, mental, or learning disability that may require some modification of seating, testing, or other class requirements so that appropriate arrangements may be made. Please contact me during my office hours. Before this visit, it is the student's responsibility to contact Student Disability Services, 3100 Burge Hall (5-1462), to obtain a Student Academic Accommodation Request form (SAAR). This form specifies what course accommodations are judged reasonable for a given student. If necessary accommodations can't be provided, I will contact the Student Disability Services counselor who signed the request form within 48 hours of receiving it from the student.
2. Academic Policies. Because this course is given in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, policies on matters such as requirements, grading, and sanctions for academic dishonesty are governed by CLAS regulations. Students wishing to add or drop this course after the official deadline must receive the approval of the Dean of the College. Details of University policy of cross enrollments may be found here. Students should assume, unless told otherwise, that all courses taken in the English Department employ plus-minus grading.
3. Disputes: A student who has a complaint against any member of the college's teaching staff is responsible for following the procedures described in the Student Academic Handbook, which is available here. Serious disagreements about grading or other policies are generally resolved through negotiations. The first step is to talk with the instructor--which would be me; if we cannot come to a satisfactory agreement, the second step is to talk with the Associate Chair of Undergraduate Programs, Professor Douglas Trevor (douglas-trevor@uiowa.edu, 335-0472); if that doesn't work, the third step is to talk with the English Department Chair, Professor Jonathan Wilcox (jonathan-wilcox@uiowa.edu, 335-0454). After these options have been exhausted, the student may turn to the CLAS administration and submit a written complaint to the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies, Professor Helena Dettmar, whose office is 120 Schaeffer Hall (335-2633). Please note that in complaints involving the assignment of grades, it is college policy that grades cannot be changed without the permission of the department concerned.
4. Plagiarism and Cheating: All students are expected to be honest and honorable in their fulfillment of assignments and in test-taking situations. Plagiarism and cheating are serious forms of academic misconduct. Specific examples of these practices are available in the CLAS Handbook. Review these examples carefully. Plagiarism is the presentation of someone else's work as one's own and may involve lifting language from published essays or books, copying sources found on the internet, or using other students' work (as, for example, from a roommate or a dorm, fraternity, or sorority file). The English Department works with individual instructors to detect plagiarism and cheating and to ensure that appropriately serious punishments are applied. An instructor who suspects a student of plagiarism or cheating must inform the student (in writing) as soon as possible after the incident has been observed or discovered. Instructors who detect cheating or plagiarism may decide, in consultation with the departmental chair, to reduce the student's grade on the assignment or the course, even to assign an F. In either case, the instructor will write an account of the chonology of the plagiarism or cheating incident for the departmental chair, who will send an endorsement of the written report of the case to the Associate Dean for academic programs. A copy of the report will be sent to the student, who has the right to request a hearing within the Department and/or within the College.5. Homework Expectation. On average, students should expect to spend approximately eight hours per week outside of class preparing for class sessions. When particularly arduous reading or writing assignments are due, you may need to schedule more out-of-class preparation time.